Sarfarosh Review

Movies come and movies go. Few leave a mark behind them. John Matthew Matthan's Sarfarosh is a sincere attempt to achieve something more than box office records. But something somewhere is missing. Though Sarfarosh is a good movie, it could have been much better. The director, out on his first venture in Bollywood, does a good enough job, but Sarfarosh is not going to linger in your memory for too long.

Assistant Chief of Police, Ajay Singh Rathod (Aamir Khan) comes from an upright, middle-class family. A terrorist attack caused the death of his brother and the paralysis of his father. Ajay, who was a college student during this incident, has since grown into a determined, able guy who hopes to get back at the criminals, who caused his family such trauma. Ajay is now a cop and he views all criminals, as the same ones who wronged his loved ones. The true battle for Ajay begins, however, when he must apprehend a band of hidden criminals smuggling arms into the country from Pakistan, via the Rajasthani border. The arms find their way into the southern states of India were they are used by various anti-social elements to fulfil their illegitimate ends.

The investigation goes on and the process and frustrations faced by the cops are shown very realistically. There are complex and interesting characters punctuating the movie, making it all the more intriguing. Inspector Salim (Mukesh Rishi) is one such character, who is accused of not being sincere just because he is a Muslim. Naseeruddin Shah as the Pakistani ghazal singer, is another substantial character who fleshes out the story. The story goes from South India to the desserts of Rajasthan, where it finally reaches a cinematic climax.

The performances of the movie are one of its strong points. Aamir Khan though, in his quest for a serious image, in the movie, ends up looking a little wooden. Ajay Rathod's family though does come to life on screen, with small realistic quirks portrayed very well. Sonali Bendre is impressive in her small role as Ajay's sweetheart. Mukesh Rishi gives a strong and commendable performance and shows that he is being wasted in those meaningless villain roles that he usually essays. Naseeruddin Shah is formidable as usual, in his cameo role with shades of gray. The music is quite good, but the songs are irrelevant and tend to irritate you though there are very few of them.

Sarfarosh is a decent enough movie, banking on the patriotic emotions rampant in Indians. But it lacks that 'feel good' factor that is characteristic of such movies. You watch the movie, appreciate the performances, and walk out. There is a distinctive absence of euphoria. But still, the movie is far better than all those meaningless romantic flicks that are continuously released and re-released. Definitely worth a watch.